Google to take on Slack and Facebook with new AI-powered chat, says report

Google to take on Slack and Facebook with new AI-powered chat, says report

Image: iStockphoto/destillat While it hasn’t enslaved us or taken our jobs yet, artificial intelligence is creeping its way into more aspects of our software and our lives. Messaging products, in particular, have seen a boon in AI-powered tools known as chatbots. Chatbot, short for chatterbot, refers to a type of computer program that uses an AI method known as natural language processing (NLP) to infer information from a textual dialog it holds with a human user and responds automatically. Messaging app Slack is known for its chatbot and Facebook is developing its “M” personal assistant that does this. Now, Google reportedly wants a piece of the action. According to a Wall Street Journal article citing “people familiar with the matter,” the search giant is readying an AI-powered chat tool that…